“Objectively,” she says, sipping her drink, “if everyone in your story is impressed by you, I’m suspicious.”
The table howls.
Devon wipes his eyes. “Cam, she’s lethal.”
I nod once. “I know.”
Hunter asks her more about songwriting. Not the surface-level stuff. The process. The stuck places. What she does when a lyric won’t land.
Her face changes instantly.
She leans forward, elbows on the table. Starts talking with her hands. About melodies arriving half-formed. About chasing a line for weeks. About how sometimes the right word doesn’t feel right until it hurts a little.
I watch the way her shoulders relax as she talks. The way her voice steadies when she’s speaking about something that belongs to her. The way she forgets to self-edit.
She laughs when Devon asks if heartbreak songs are easier.
“Easier?” she says. “No. Writing heartbreak is louder, maybe."
She says it lightly, but not dismissive. Like there’s a whole sentence she didn’t finish.
I realize then that my teammates aren’t watching her the way they watch celebrities.
They’re watching her the way they watch each other.
Curious. Protective. Assessing.
And she’s passing every test without knowing there was one.
She laughs until she covers her mouth again. Leans back when Hunter makes a dry joke she almost misses.
Jax leans back in his chair. “So,” he says, casual as a trap, “on a scale of one to ten—how much is Cam pretending he doesn’t like you?”
I choke. Fully. On air.
“Jax,” I manage. “Don’t.”
The table goes quiet in a way that means it’s about to explode.
Lila blinks once. Twice. Then she tilts her head, thoughtful. Like she’s genuinely considering the question.
“The scale only goes to ten?” she asks.
The table loses its mind.
Devon slams a hand down, laughing so hard he nearly spills his drink. “That’s it. She wins. Cam, marry her twice.”
“I hate all of you,” I mutter, rubbing a hand over my face.
Hunter, infuriatingly calm, lifts his glass. “For what it’s worth,” he says, eyes on Lila, “Cam’s been different lately. In a good way.”
My pulse spikes.
“You’re good for him,” Hunter adds simply.
Nobody laughs.
Even Jax goes quiet for half a second.
